Car-coupling



H OBALD.

PLING.

CAR

(No Model.)

No. 522,439. Patentd July 3, 1894.

u m t w Warvzey UNITED STATES PATENT OFFI E,

GUSTAVE A. THEOBALD, NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPEGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 522,439, dated July 3,1894. Application filed February 3, 1894. Serial No- 498,964- (Nomodel.)

T0 at whom it many concern/.-

Be it known that I, GUsTAvE A. THEOBALD, a citizen of the United States,residing at New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans and State ofLouisiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inOar-Couplings; and I do declare the following to be afull, clear, andexact description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled inthe art to whichit appertains to make and use the same.

This invention has relation to an improvement in that class of carcouplers, in which a gravitating coupling hook is employed forautomatically engaging the coupling link, and it has for its object toimprove such devices by simplifying the construction, rendering themmore effective in operation and to provide a cheap and efficient meansin connection with the coupling hook whereby the dangerous necessity ofgoing between the cars to couple and uncouple, is obviated; the couplinghook being provided with attachments whereby an attendant may operatethe couplers from either side of a carer from the top withoutdismounting.

The invention will be fully understood from the following descriptionand claim when taken in connection with the annexed drawings, in which-Figure 1, is a longitudinal, vertical, sectional view of a draw headwith the other parts in side elevation and attached to a fragment of acar. Fig. 2', is a perspective view of the draw head and the improvedcoupling hook, and Fig. 3, is a perspective view of the coupling hookremoved.

Referring by letter to said drawings:.-A, indicates a draw head, whichmay be mainly of the ordinary construction, having a flaring mouth a,for the entrance of the coupling link, and in the bottom wall of thethroat of the draw head, is a vertical aperture b, for a purpose whichwill presently appear. In rear of this aperture 1), is a verticalshoulder c, and the interior of the draw head from this shoulder in itsbase wall has a rearwardly extending recess 01, the lower or base wallof which slopes or inclines as shown at e, and the top wall inclines inan opposite direction, as-shown at f In the top wall of the draw headisa longitudinally-disposed slot f, for the passage of the coupling hookmit the ready entrance of the coupling link,

which will lift the coupling hook in its entrance. This hook has anengaging branch Z, which is designed to enter the aperture b, in thebase or lower wall of the draw head. The hook has a rearwardly extendingbranch m, which is beveled on its top, as shown at n, and has a lowerwall 19, and is pivoted at its extreme inner end in the recess d, bymeans of a pin or rod q. By this construction it will be seen that as acoupling link enters the draw head, it will strike the under bevel ofthe hook, and raising the same, will pass under the branch Z, coming incontact with the shoulder 0, when the branch Z, will immediately passinto the slot of the coupling link and hold the same. As the couplinglink strikes the bevel on the coupling hook, and throws the latterupwardly in the slot f, the wall at, of said hook, will strike the wallof the recess in the draw head, and limit the upward movement of saidhook, thereby throwing the hook quickly into the coupling pin as itenters the draw head. In order that the coupler may be operated from thetop of the car, I have provided the hook at its upper, forward end, withan eye 1'. In this eye is arranged alink or ring 8, and from the ringleads a chain t, which may be attached to any suitable devices at thetop of the car, whereby an attendant may manipulate the hook from thatpoint.

0, indicates a rock shaft, which is journaled in suitable bearings u, onthe front side or end of a car, and is provided at both ends with ahandle or lever D, whereby the shaft may be rocked by an attendant,without going between the cars. From the middle of this rock shaftextends a crank arm E, which is connected at its outer or free end bymeans of a link F, with the eye in the forward upper side of thecoupling hook.

By the construction described, it will be seen that the operation may beeffected auto matically to couple, and the uncoupling may be eifectedfrom the top of acar or from either side. It will also be seen that fromany cause, should it be desirable to use the ordinary 5 coupling pin andlink, the gravitating hook and its attachments can be removed, when thepin can be passed through the slot in the top of the draw head and downthrough the aperture 1), in the bottom.

Having described my invention, what I claim is In an automatic carcoupling, the draw head, having the flaring mouth, and constructed asdescribed, with the slot f, in its top, the aperture b, in its bottom,and also having the rearwardly extending recess, provided with theinclined top wall f, and the bottom wall e, and also having the shoulderc,in rear of the bottom aperture, in combination with the gravitatingcoupling hook, having the weighted, 2o

forward end, provided with the straight wall h, the beveled walli,disposed on the same angle as the top wall of the mouth of the drawhead, and also having the hook 1, adapted to enter the aperture Z), andthe rearwardly extending branch 1%, pivoted in the rear end of therecess by a pin q, the rock shaft 0, having an operating handle and alsohaving the crank arm E, connected with the forward upper end of the hookby the link F, and the chain also connected thereto by a link,substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GUSTAVE A. 'IHEQBALD. Witnesses:

CHAS. GARVEY, ARTHUR CLIMO,

